Dangerously Different
by Prime627
Summary: The world had changed, and those that did not adapt died, and so the Autobots had to adjust, but the faction Optimus chose turned out to be less than perfect, and he needs to get out, but go to where? The aptitude tests are coming up, and he is hoping for answers to his questions: Where does he belong? Who is he?


The earth had changed in the last few centuries. Factions arose, and the Autobots had to adapt, by taking up residence in families in different factions, learning their lifestyle. They started as children, and were exposed slowly to their world along with their human peers.

Optimus knew nothing of his team, was not aware of which faction they decided to blend into. He only knew that he was nearing the age of sixteen in his human form, and something happened when he reached that age.

He would Choose.

But what would he choose? He was never at home with his faction, the Abnegation. He was compassionate, sure, and he was selfless, yes, but the Abnegation was too compassionate, too selfless. He didn't like it, wasn't used to it. His older siblings scolded him for being selfish, his mother swatted his head regularily, even now.

He made dinner silently. There were five children all together, and he was the youngest. He frowned down at the strips of frozen chicken floating in a lake of canned peas and pepper. This was to be dinner, and too late Optimus remembered that the chicken had to be thawed. He fished them out and laid them on a bed of butter in a pan, willing it to cook before his father came home and his mother finished knitting a hat for the baby forming in her belly. Just as the door opened, creaking its announcement that Father had returned, Optimus dumped the contents of the pan into the pot and stirred.

But Mother was behind him, and his head was swatted. He ducked it between his shoulders and frowned down at his work, their food.

His oldest brother, Nick, walked up, his arms crossed and he looked into the pot. "If we get food poisoning, the rules say I have to forgive you, but I won't."

Nick was not, absolutely not, Abnegation. In fact, while the younger children slept in their beds, Optimus, Nick, and Suzie sat up and talked at length about what their lives would be like in a different faction.

Suzie was pure Abnegation: sandy hair, grey eyes, pale skin. She was completely and utterly ordinary. Normal. She wasn't pretty, but not ugly, either. She was normal.

Nick had all the "wrong" traits for Abnegation: bright blond hair, neon blue eyes, and a set of straight, pearly teeth. Optimus could see his brother as an Erudite.

Optimus had brown hair, blue eyes, fair skin...he saw himself as neither attractive nor unnattractive. In Abnegation clothing, as pale and plain as sand, but Suzie told him once that he would be pretty had he been born into another faction. He was still convinced she had only said that to cheer him up, as she is supposed to.

Before Optimus could earn another swat to the head by retorting, Father silenced his son. "Apologize to your brother."

Nick took a deep inhale as if the apology would hurt him. "I'm sorry."

"Now, Orion...accept it."

"I accept your apology," Optimus sighed and he groaned as he hugged Nick, though his parents were clearly pleased.

He looked to the stars that shone outside the window as he stirred the soup. Nick went off to play with one of the younger siblings, either Lily or Lulu, the twins. They were dressed in pale dresses, their identical hair drawn back into bunned braids.

Optimus served his family the soup, stared down at his bowl and wondered, not for the first time, was this all his life had to offer?

No, he found as he opened the door for an old family friend. It still had one last jab to give.

"I've come to talk about the child situation," he said after dragging everyone away from the dining room table. The soups chilled where they sat in their bowls. Optimus felt the weight of food wasted, and he sighed.

Father and Mother refused to touch, but for some reason, Optimus could clearly picture how they should respond: Clinging to each other.

The ultimate decision: either Father stopped indulging himself with Mother, or Mother would lose the ability to have babies after the newborn was delivered. Father immediately put three inches between him and Mother, as if showing that he had made his decision already. The leader left, and Optimus excused himself. He poured the soup back into the pot, and he set it outside where the factionless milled around, looking for something to eat.

Instead of getting swatted or glared at, he was thanked, and Optimus trudged up to his bed and he flopped down, ignoring his sorrowful siblings.

Mother and Father broke the rules creating them, but they were encouraged by adopting the squirmy infant Optimus had showed up as on their doorstep. No, the Abnegation leaders don't ban reproduction, but the process of creating is frowned upon. It is to be quick, and the female must feel nothing, and the male must feel only painful urgency to get the job done.

Since Optimus refused to sit up when Nick prodded him, he was left to his thoughts. Though it was frowned upon to switch factions when the time came, Optimus couldn't see himself interfacing just to create. He couldn't do it, so he found he had to switch, but to which faction? When the aptitude tests came around, what would he get and what would he choose?

 **Okay. I have orphaned Gone Femme unofficially and I'm still working at Darkness Returning chappie 2, and in the meantime, munch on this.**

 **I wanted to do this ever since I watched Insurgent. I'm reading Divergent at the moment (fifty or so more pages to go! I started yesterday!). I know this is weird, I'm having trouble adjusting, but if this doesn't fly or if no one likes it, I'll orphan it and do another scary fic, because I love those the best x3**


End file.
